Saturday, January 7, 2017

Trump transition team member: Don’t worry, OBAMACARE plans WON'T CHANGE at all FOR THE NEXT TWO YEARS

You know what he’s trying to do here, but even so, this is a jarring talking point coming from a Republican, let alone a Republican who’s on Trump’s transition team. Democrats are out there right now setting fires about O-Care, warning voters who bought their plans on the exchanges that once repeal passes, they’re apt to lose their insurance. Collins wants to reassure those people that that’s a lie: Nothing will change, for at least two whole years. Your plan is locked in. That may be true or it may not: The terms of the plans might not change, but insurers who are spooked by the passage of repeal might threaten to abandon the exchanges unless Congress makes it worth their while to stay. That’s the nightmare scenario that Democrats are touting, that uncertainty over the future of the exchanges will cause insurers to pull the plug immediately rather than hang around until the GOP has a replacement system ready. Collins is simply trying to ease those fears, but that puts him in the position of having to defend the status quo on Obama’s most notorious “achievement” as president.

Which is a strange place for a Republican to be, I think we can agree.

“Those products have already been approved by the state insurance agencies, or for the 2018 time, are innegotiation right now,” he continued.

“So we’re talking about new plans in 2019 or later that will be more affordable, let patients pick their doctors.”

Collins said it is important to make sure Americans are not “disadvantaged.”…

“We’re not going to pull the rug out from under anyone. There’s no reason to worry the next two years.”